Framingham is Social Service Central

Framingham is Social Service Central Tuesday, July 12, 2005

Enzo Rotatori, Framingham Metrowest Daily News

I am writing about the July 6 editorial, "Your rights to your backyard." In it, reference is made to residents to stop the sale of the Winter Street nursing home to a social service agency. The SMOC organization provides valuable social services to this region with more than two dozen programs. The editorial calls people who oppose SMOC "conservatives."
The SMOC 2004 annual report really tells the story about why "conservatives" are up in arms with one slogan shouting "Enough is enough."
SMOC lists 118 buildings under their program control in this annual report. There are 17 communities listed where SMOC has programs/buildings of which Framingham alone has 60 of these buildings. As an example, SMOC has this number of buildings in these nearby towns: Natick has two, Marlborough six and Waltham three. Framingham has more than 50 percent of the listed SMOC buildings.
What we conservatives are complaining about is that Framingham is becoming or already is Social Service Central. We have more SMOC buildings in Framingham than the sum total of the remaining 16 towns listed in SMOC's report.
SMOC provides regional services that should be spread more equitably to the towns they service within the region.
Editors are entitled to their opinion; however, they shouldn't turn a deaf ear to the more than 67,000 residents of Framingham.

Framingham is Social Service Central	Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Enzo Rotatori, Framingham	Metrowest Daily News
I am writing about the July 6 editorial, "Your rights to your backyard." In it, reference is made to residents to stop the sale of the Winter Street nursing home to a social service agency. The SMOC organization provides valuable social services to this region with more than two dozen programs. The editorial calls people who oppose SMOC "conservatives." The SMOC 2004 annual report really tells the story about why "conservatives" are up in arms with one slogan shouting "Enough is enough." SMOC lists 118 buildings under their program control in this annual report. There are 17 communities listed where SMOC has programs/buildings of which Framingham alone has 60 of these buildings. As an example, SMOC has this number of buildings in these nearby towns: Natick has two, Marlborough six and Waltham three. Framingham has more than 50 percent of the listed SMOC buildings. What we conservatives are complaining about is that Framingham is becoming or already is Social Service Central. We have more SMOC buildings in Framingham than the sum total of the remaining 16 towns listed in SMOC's report. SMOC provides regional services that should be spread more equitably to the towns they service within the region. Editors are entitled to their opinion; however, they shouldn't turn a deaf ear to the more than 67,000 residents of Framingham.

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